There were problems in performance during the first seven months after the launch of the Criminal Records Bureau but, following joint action by the Bureau, Capita and the Home Office, the Bureau is now delivering reliably each week over twice the number of Disclosures of criminal records undertaken by the police under the old arrangements. […]
Victim Support is highly regarded by the 1.4 million victims and witnesses who make use of its services each year. But according to a National Audit Office report, published today, the rate at which victims are referred to Victim Support varies widely from area to area and only a small proportion of victims of unreported […]
The Inland Revenue’s administration of petroleum revenue tax – tax on the profits from production of North Sea oil and gas – is generally effective according to a report to Parliament today by head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn. The National Audit Office report on the Inland Revenue’s management of petroleum revenue […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the NAO, told Parliament today that the Ministry of Defence (the MOD) is making progress towards delivering an Initial Operating Capability for the Apache helicopter in August 2004 but that risks remained. The MOD is buying 67 Apache helicopters through a £3 billion prime contract with Westland Helicopters Ltd. The […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has reported to Parliament on the outcome of financial audit work undertaken in central government by his staff over the past year. Sir John qualified his audit opinion on 13 accounts and reported on a further 13. Sir John examines the progress made by Government departments and […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, today reported the results of his examination of HM Customs and Excise’s systems for the assessment, collection and allocation of tax revenue during the year ending 31 March 2002. Customs collected £150 billion (gross) in revenue in 2001-2002. In April 2001 the Department reorganised along functional […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reporting today on the top 20 defence equipment projects in demonstration and manufacture, told Parliament that the Ministry of Defence is meeting the technical requirements of the majority of its customers, whilst continuing to improve cost control and beginning to bring delays under control. On the […]
Sir John Bourn, the Head of the NAO, told Parliament today that Combat Identification enables the Armed Forces to improve combat effectiveness and minimise the risk of fratricide, which is the accidental destruction of friendly or allied forces (“friendly fire”). Historical research in the United States has shown that fratricide accounts for between ten and […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, today reported the results of his examination of the Benefits Agency’s Appropriation Account. Sir John qualified his audit opinion on the account due to the level of benefit fraud and the level of error in benefit awards, principally in income support and jobseeker’s allowance. This account […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, today reported to Parliament on Government procurement. Some 1,500 staff spend some £13billion each year on civil procurement across government. Procurement is therefore big business and getting it right is central to the management of any organisation. The report focuses on the scope for improved procurement […]
The New Deal for Young People achieved its target of placing 250,000 young people into work in September 2000, and by October 2001 had helped 339,000 into jobs. It has had a positive effect on levels of youth employment and on the economy more broadly, although, as with other labour market programmes, many of these […]
In November 2001, Customs produced estimates for the first time of the revenue loss from frauds on petrol and diesel. Customs estimated that in 2000 the loss could be between £450 million and £980 million in the UK, compared to revenue receipts of £22.6 billion on oils duties. Of this, diesel frauds on the UK […]
Consumers of basic services delivered by pipes and wires have benefited from lower prices and more reliable services as a result of the way these networks have been regulated, according to a report published today by Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office. The approach to regulation does, however, have some inherent limitations […]
In a report to Parliament today, Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, said that Postcomm, the new regulator of postal services, face a challenging remit as they seek to bring benefits to users of postal services through the introduction of competition, and pointed to serious risks to Postcomm’s strategy of improving […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the Gaming Board could benefit both taxpayers and the gaming industry by making further improvements to its regulatory work. The NAO looked at whether the Board could improve its performance by: removing unnecessary regulation and relying more on the regulatory and […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the administration of parole in England and Wales. Ensuring that prisoners’ applications for parole are considered in a timely manner requires close co-operation between organisations including the Prison Service, the Parole Board, the Probation Service and the police. Delays can result […]
The urgent need for change in how government departments and agencies procure and manage new construction projects, currently worth some £7.5 billion a year, is highlighted today in a National Audit Office report. It concludes that there is now no excuse for government clients and the industry to fail to take advantage of readily available […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the risk of fraud in property management in the Ministry of Defence. Property management on the Defence Estate consists of maintenance work and minor new construction work up to a value of about £300,000 for each individual job, including VAT and […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, today reported to Parliament on the problems in the administration of the Sheep Annual Premium Scheme in England which led to the European Commission refusing to reimburse £27 million in respect of payments to farmers in England for 1993 to 1996. The report examines how the […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that many NHS trusts and orthopaedic consultants apply good practice in the way that they handle total hip replacements. However, there are significant variations in performance, and there is need for good practice to be spread more widely for the benefit of […]